In the aftermath
by Sabaku No Natsuo
Summary: War...it's inhumane, it's bloody and it's unstoppable. The ninjas of Konoha are in over there heads this time... Series of drabbles with a war theme Yaoi, Yuri and Het M for violence


**A/N: **Okay so I needed practice learning how to condense my thoughts so I used fanfic to practice! I really like war stories because I love history and stuffs like that. So I hope you enjoy this there is another part to it so don't think that this is it! I'm also thinking about making a third part. So when the second part comes out tell me what you think. Oh yeah each section is a different view of the Konoha Shinobi during the war.

**Warnings: **Yaoi (SasukexNaruto)(KakashixIruka), Yuri (TsunadexShizune) future(InoxSakura) and Hetero, future (KibaxHinata) There is a possibilty for others so hold tight.

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**Part 1: War**

The air was thick with the stench of blood. Corpses were rotting where they lie. The scent of tears on the cheeks of the living and those that managed a few last watery drops before an untimely death stung with the salty sensation that only devastation could bring forward. Kiba stood beside his teacher and wanted so badly to hurl from the smell. He smelled death, but that wasn't it, he smelled war, thick and swirling around in his nostrils.

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She got the blood to clot but infection still slipped passed her buzzing fingertips. Chakra hummed before the wound but nothing could be done, for is threads of fate were already cut. Her eyes widened as she touched the lifeless body of a shinobi she knew nothing of, except that he was a Konoha shinobi. Blood streaked Sakura's hair as she gripped it tightly. Her face was dotted with his crimson death when she brought her useless hands to meet her eyes.

Before Sakura could stop it, sadness was staining her face for the loss of yet another noble man. Her lungs shook as she heaved breath out through her sobs, she wasn't mourning the loss of a friend but she cried just as hard. As she tried to regain her voice she realized that there was nothing that could cure war.

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Love was your worst enemy in war, Kakashi concluded as Iruka fell limp in his battered arms. It'll make you do stupid things because you forgot that you were first a ninja and then a human. Stupid Kakashi…he could hear it. To drown out the voices he harshly whispered praises, ("You did good," "You're getting stronger") and words of sentiment, ("beautiful," "I love you…"). His voice was far too rough to be saying such things as he kissed along the slender scar across the bridge of Iruka's nose.

He didn't stop his praising of Iruka for a second, even as he reached into his own pouch. Kakashi pulled a small red and white capsule out and pushed it into Iruka's mouth before grabbing for another one for him to swallow. With no hesitation in his hands he downed the pill. Now all that was left to do was to wait for his organs to liquefy and for his eyes to slide shut forever. Kakashi rested his head against the stony wall and clutched Iruka even tighter as he awaited fate.

Love had no place in War.

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Tears slid down her face and landed on her chapped lips. The salt stung them so mercilessly as she watched the bodies pile up on the horizon. Neji pretended that he did not see his cousin cry as he scanned the area for openings and threats all at once. Hinata continued to watch in horror as the dwindling forces fell onto the bloody and mangled dead. She bit down onto her lip as her mental death count rose higher and higher, blood soon filled her mouth.

Her amazing eyes caught sight of a woman from the Rock country hacking away at a black clad sand nin long after his, as well as his puppets, were gone. The brutality of the Rock kunoichi was sickening Hinata resolved sinking to her knees. Her mind swam with the regret of having the byakugan; she had to watch the war unfold strictly for strategic observation. Who was the disgusting that they would put a _child_ through this?

The taste of resentment came up to Hinata's throat so fast that she braced herself by gripping the ground in front of her and emptying the contents of her stomach on the god forsaken ground. Those of faint heart shouldn't be watching war drift by.

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Intuition told her long ago that a war was unavoidable. The treaty with the Rock country was as flimsy as a scarf against a Hurricane. With the allies in Suna and Kiri she didn't think that it would happen, and instead dismissed it as her wartime past getting the better of her. Now there she sat, in an underground shelter with the children and elderly of Konoha as well as Suna and the Kazekage and Mizukage. Tsunade knew she had the strength as well as the speed to help in the war, but Shizune forbade her from participating and made her promise to stay in the shelter where she was safe. In turn Tsunade made the woman promise to come back, with a kiss and a simple silver band Shizune complied.

Tsunade brought her hands to her head. Hundreds of _her _soldiers were dying above her and she couldn't do a _damn thing about it!_ _This _is NOT why she became the Hokage! She did not want to lead her people and promise to protect them if she couldn't defend them when war came knocking down the doors. She balled up her fists and prepared to read the list of the dead that Neji and Hinata updated.

Shizune's name was at the top of the list. Promises mean less than treaties when both are broken in war.

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Only a few walked back to Konoha albeit on shaky legs. Others were carried, dead or alive. As the village came into view it was clear that the devastation was going to cut deep and leave scars that would never heal. Buildings that were once owned by humble citizens were demolished, homes were nothing more than the cement foundations they started off as and those that survived the storm were only a little less than alive. Surviving when their sons, daughters, husbands, wives, lovers, classmates and friends seemed to be a punishment too sever for their short lived lives.

A few days of recuperation in the hospital, which was mostly intact, and then Tsunade ordered all the surviving ninjas (and herself) to help with collecting the dead and cleaning the mess. Everyone did so without complaint. Naruto allowed himself silent tears for all of whom he had known, and even some he did, who had died. Sasuke stayed close to his lover but kept his distance, should Naruto need or not need him. The first few rounds of bodies and it looked like Naruto would break, but he stayed strong. That was until he came across Shikamaru and Chouji's bodies strewn across the landscape.

He screamed at the top of his lungs and fell to the worn and tainted Earth. Sasuke watched, his heart breaking at every exclamation made by the blond ninja. He knew better than to try to comfort Naruto right now. So he settled for sliding the sliver earrings out of their cold earlobes. As he pocketed them he stole a glance at Naruto and thought, "Ino would want these…"

It looked as if Naruto was now calmer than before; he was face down on the ground with his shoulders shuddering with dry sadness. Sasuke walked over to Naruto, got on his knees and lifted him up to pull him into his chest. His own tears slid into those golden locks as he mourned for the loss of some of the greatest shinobi and humans that had ever lived.

The war was finally over and they had survived, but just barely.

End of War

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**A/N: **Hope you guys liked that. I think that this is actually the saddest one but I guess that depends on what kind of person you are. The next chapter will be one of rememberance 

**Preview of Next chapter:** "_Silent prayers were passed between lips to the air and carried to the heavens. A soft gust of wind blew through the site, letting the audience know they were heard in the afterlife." _

**Death List: **(This is from this chapter as well as the next one): Kakashi, Iruka, Kankuro, Shizune, Shikamaru, Chouji, Shino and Sakura. This doesn't include all the minor characters or those from Kiri, Rock or others, just Suna and Konoha.


End file.
